53-2398, of the 380th Bomb Wing, suffers collapse of forward main gear unit, skids off right side of runway at Plattsburgh AFB, New York, crew escapes safely. Airframe struck off charge 13 January 1965. 5 December An LGM-30B Minuteman I missile is on strategic alert at Launch Facility (LF) L-02, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, when two airmen are dispatched to the LF to repair the inner zone (IZ) security system. In the midst of their checkout of the IZ system, one retrorocket in the spacer below the Reentry Vehicle (RV) fires, causing the RV to fall about 75 feet to the floor of the silo. When the RV strikes bottom, the arming and fusing/altitude control subsystem containing the batteries are torn loose, thus removing all sources of power from the RV. The RV structure receives considerable damage. All safety devices operate properly in that they do not sense the proper sequence of events to allow arming the warhead. There is no detonation or radioactive contamination. 8 December U.S. Air Force Convair B-58A Hustler, 60-1116, of the 305th Bomb Wing, taxiing for take-off on icy taxiway at Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, is blown off the pavement by exhaust of another departing Convair B-58 Hustler, strikes a concrete manhole box adjacent to the runway, landing gear collapses, burns. Navigator killed in failed ejection, two other crew okay. Four B43 nuclear bombs and either a W39 or W53 warhead are on board the weapons pod, but no explosion takes place and contamination is limited to crash site. 10 December U.S. Air Force B-67 weather plane crashes on takeoff at Patrick Air Force Base ,Florida. Pilot and NCO passenger headed to NCO Academy killed. Leaves 9 children without a father. 1965 16 January A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, 57-1442, crashed after an engine failure shortly after take off from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, US. The fuel-laden plane crashed at the intersection of 20th and Piatt in Wichita, Kansas, causing a huge fire. 30 were killed, 23 on the ground and the 7-member crew. The aircraft was assigned to the 902d Air Refueling Squadron, 4123d Strategic Wing based at Clinton-Sherman AFB, in Oklahoma. The aircraft had just completed a scheduled Factory Maintenance Visit at the Boeing facility in Wichita. 16 January U.S. Navy LCDR. Dick Oliver crashes Grumman F-11A Tiger, Blue Angel Number 5, BuNo 141869, doing a dirty roll during practice,